The Ball
by choiry
Summary: Mai and Naru attend a ball after helping a politician during it's planning. An earthquake hits, and they are left alone for days. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Hello, readers, I am Choiry. This is my first story- I've lurked for years, but this idea has continued to bug me, so I'm writing it out. It will definitely contain citrus in the future. Read, review (please? It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside), and enjoy!

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Mai shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She hadn't wanted to go to this ball, but Naru had said she had to. The client's wife specifically requested her presence, apparently. Mai was about to refuse anyway, but it occurred to her that, with free food and the loaning of a beautiful dress, the evening might be bearable. It had been, too, until the dancing began. The band had played only slow dances so far, and Mai was one of the few partner less attendees, forcing her to stay firmly seated on the side of the dance floor.

She half-heartedly wished that SPR hadn't taken the case that led to this. The client, a politician, had been planning his yearly charity gala, until his staff told him they refused to continue working in the ballroom. The politician had been angered at first, until his workers showed him why- everyone was covered in bites and bruises; the electricity promptly failed at sunset each day, to be replaced by extremely cold darkness. The mirrors that weren't smashed reflected shadowy images that, once turned away from, disappeared. After one of the female workers ran screaming from the toilet, shrieking that there was a man climbing out of the mirror (there wasn't), the staff called it quits, and the politician called Naru. The facility had historically been used for this event, and the politician did not look forward to moving the gala's location for a reason he could not publicly explain.

Naru, Lin, and Mai found two poltergeists in the building. Once they identified the cause, they were easily removed, although Mai suffered several wounds from pottery flying at her and Lin sustained a mild concussion (although the minute he heard about the ball invitation, the concussion kept him firmly bed-ridden, much to his "disappointment"). Lin's demons banished the poltergeists, and the job was finished in two days; the ball was held a week later.

Despite the beautiful decorations (new mirrors, a giant chandelier, and beautiful oak seats for those not dancing) and the stunning dress (dark blue silk, strapless, and laced in the back), Mai was not enjoying herself. The hostess had thanked her fervently, introduced her to her friends, all of whom repeated her thanks, and then shown her to a seat and wandered off to greet other guests. Naru had confirmed that she showed up and then gallivanted off to dance with a parade of increasingly attractive (not that Mai actually cared) women. Mai was left to adjusting her skirt and smiling thinly at leering older men who talked to her cleavage. Finally, she glanced at the delicate watch on her wrist (another loan from the hostess, who noticed Mai wasn't wearing any jewelry and supplied her with a silver set for the night) and noticed that it was almost midnight.

With a sigh of relief, she stood and began to edge her way to the door. She could find the room her clothes were in, change, and get a taxi home; maybe she'd even manage to clean up the mess in her room from a frenzied search for dress shoes earlier in the day before she collapsed into bed. Naru had seen her arrive, and he couldn't fault her for leaving after almost four hours of isolation. Or so she thought, until a hand came down upon her shoulder.

"And where are you going?" Naru asked, clearly intent upon making her stay for the ball's duration. Mai glared at him and turned sharply, wrenching her shoulder out of his grip.

"I am leaving. I have stayed for long enough, and clearly the client's wife hasn't got a use for me, or she would've said so when I arrived at eight, almost four hours ago. I will see you in the morning. Good night, Naru." The last had an almost desperate emphasis. She awaited his response- she wanted to leave, but if he determined that she should stay, she'd have no choice in the matter.

Naru appeared to ponder her words for moment before choosing his response. "It would be rude to leave without saying good night to the hosts. Come with me to thank them, and I'll get a taxi to take us both home afterward- I need to get home and call Lin before he begins to wonder why I'm not there."

Mai stared at him, shocked she was getting off so easily. Before he could make some clever remark about her silence, she put her hand on his arm and walked back to the dance floor, searching for their hosts. She thought she saw them, and was turning in that direction, when Naru froze. Mai turned to look at him, and was opening her mouth to ask why he had stopped, when suddenly he grabbed her arm and began to pull her toward the door.

"Naru! Stop! What happened to saying good night to the hosts? Let go of my arm- you're hurting me!" Mai protested, trying to free her arm. Naru ignored her, hell-bent on reaching the door. Mai had almost succeeded in pulling away when she heard it- a low rumbling noise that seemed to be getting louder. There was a sudden hush over the ballroom as the guests began to notice the sound, and then the floor began to shake.

Naru looked at the crowd of suddenly panicked people and changed direction, pulling Mai toward the wall. Mai went willingly, not wanting to be in the way when it occurred to the guests that they were in a building under heavy light fixtures and could easily remedy that situation by getting very quickly out the door. Naru jerked her against the wall just as the first woman screamed and people started to run.

"Stay right here no matter what, Mai. It safer here than in that stampede," Naru murmured, eyeing those closest to them and angling himself slightly in front of her. She was about to open her mouth to agree when the floor rolled violently up, knocking her flat. She felt a rip of pain and heard fabric tear, and looked down to see that she had ripped the lovely dress and was now bleeding onto in from a deep cut on her thigh. Naru heard her hiss in pain, glanced over, and immediately placed one of her hands over the cut, trying to stop the blood flow.

Mai was contemplating how to get out of the room with a bleeding leg and at least 300 other people attempting the same thing when Naru grabbed her and pulled her to him.

She was about to ask why, when she realized it herself- the floor had opened up, and they were falling.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ow."

Mai opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the darkness. She reached her hand out to grasp her alarm clock, but felt only air. She looked around, wondering why she couldn't find it, and then recalled what had happened.

"Naru?" She called, knowing that he should be somewhere near by and hoping he was conscious. "Are you awake?"

"How would you know if I wasn't? I can't respond that I'm not." His reply came from her left. She turned, and made out a shadowy figure. She started to stand, but as soon as she put weight on her right leg, she collapsed. When she touched the thigh, her hand came away sticky with half-dried blood.

Naru strode over. "I stopped the bleeding, but there's nothing to clean the blood off with down here. We seem to have fallen through into the basement- and judging from the crash I heard, we may be here a while. The ceiling fell not long after the floor." He said, leaning over her leg to try to see the cut in the extremely poor light. "It should be about dawn now. Did you hit your head on the way down?"

Mai felt her head, testing for any bumps. "I don't think so… The only thing that hurts is my leg." She shifted positions so she could feel her dress. "I ripped more of the skirt, though… maybe I could tear a strip out to wipe my leg with. As damaged as it is, I don't think anyone will ever notice. It was such a lovely dress…" She sighed, thinking of how much it would cost to own one as lovely. If she went without food for a month, and didn't use any electricity, she might be able to afford one. Barring that, she'd never manage.

Naru hummed in reply, looking around the room. "I think this may be a storage space. That cupboard had old table cloths- they were dusty, or I would've used them on your leg- and I found a few chairs and cushions. No food, but there are a few liters of water, and we can light a fire to boil it. It certainly won't be comfortable, but we can survive down here for at least a few days." He pondered. "I'd say we should expect help within a week. The city is at least 20 kilometers away, and if the earthquake hit there, then that's where relief will go first. They won't have enough people to send any here for at least two days."

Mai considered this. Cushions and table cloths meant bedding, and it was late September, so they wouldn't freeze. The increasingly better light meant that there was a hole above them, so there would be enough air, too. Naru was right about the lack of comfort, but he was also right about everything else. She mentally braced herself for an extended period of contact with Naru.

"What do you propose we do to keep ourselves from going stir-crazy?" She asked, anticipating his response to involve him lecturing her, or quizzing her on school. Instead, he merely shrugged. "The space isn't very large, and there are no books or games here. We'll have to entertain ourselves." Naru replied.

Mai looked at him, surprised by the vague response. She couldn't think of any words to convey this, though, so she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall behind her. Her leg was throbbing- soon it would start to burn as it began to heal, and she wanted something distracting her when that happened. She contemplated doing her budget in her head, but deemed it too boring. Naru was lost in thought, seemingly staring at the wall- the light was still too poor for her to be sure- and he was never very talkative. He was out as a distraction as well, unless she wanted to discuss their shared work.

She placed her palms flat on the ground on either side of her legs and began to stand up, excruciatingly slowly so as to keep her weight off of her leg for as long as possible. She had lost her shoes- the only nice pair she owned, unfortunately- in the fall, so her bare feet had no trouble finding purchase on the old wooden floor. She finally succeeded in standing all the way up, and leaned against the wall next to Naru.

"Why did you stand?" he inquired, eyeing her thigh. It was throbbing harder now, but the fragile scabs hadn't torn, and there wasn't any new bleeding. Mai turned her head to look at him. "I wanted to see better. There's more light at this level, and if we're going to be stuck here, I might as well look around," she replied, scanning the room. Naru had already moved the floor that had collapsed under them to the side. The empty space in the middle of the room was about two meters by three meters, surrounded by cabinets, chairs, and a pile of silk and brocade cushions almost as tall as Mai. The table cloths were dusty, but they looked like there were mostly worn cotton prints, so they wouldn't make horrible coverings. A broom leaned against one corner; Mai would probably end up using it on the splinter-covered ground. The liters of water Naru had mentioned were in large plastic bottles, and the soap next to them indicated that they were probably for cleaning minor spills on the cushions.

Mai looked around, noting the soft morning light. Normally, she would be asleep at such an early hour, but unless she wanted to try to make a bed now, throbbing thigh and all, she was stuck awake. She limped slowly over to one of the chairs, collapsing into it as soon as she reached it. Naru glanced at her wordlessly, walked to her, and moved another chair to sit next to her.

"I began to brush up my first aid skills after I got to know you. Anyone so accident prone needs someone taking care of her," Naru said, looking at her leg again. "If you want, I can try to clean it, but it'll hurt. Considering how many people walked on the floor, cleaning it before it shows infection is the best idea." He traced his cool fingers along the outline of the cut, sending goosebumps all over Mai's skin. She spoke to distract herself from the tingling.

"I'm definitely pro-cleaning. Just give me something to hold onto. You said we could light a fire to boil the water- where are you going to do that?" She scanned the floor again, looking for a place that wouldn't catch fire.

"There's two metal bowls in one of the cabinets. I will need a strip of your dress to use as a washcloth." Naru eyed her gown, looking for a convenient place to rip. He settled on her stomach. Mai looked down and saw a slight tear where the bodice met the skirt, and started to pull. Unfortunately, the fabric was too securely woven for her to make much difference. Naru reached for the spot just as she began getting frustrated, and neatly pulled off a long strip, baring her belly in the process. Mai blushed- her stomach was pale, and hardly muscular. She wasn't fat, but she didn't have time to do any exercise other than walking to school and work, and that didn't help her abdominal muscles. Naru merely glanced at the exposed skin and then laid the fabric on top of her chair.

Mai wrapped her arms awkwardly around her stomach as Naru walked over to a cabinet, opened it, and pulled out the bowls. He also pulled out a pack of matches, and, picking up several chunks of debris, put them in the bowl. Once he had a small fire going, he opened a water container and poured some into the smaller bowl, holding it over the flames. Mai saw him grab two folded tablecloths to shield his hands from the hot metal, and then he turned around, reached over her head for the fabric, and dropped it into the water. After a moment, he removed the bowl from the flames, placing it over one of the makeshift-mitts on top of the cabinet. He eyed the soap for a moment before deciding against using it. The silk was steaming hot by now, and he pulled it out of the bowl and walked over to Mai.

"This is hot, but at least it's clean. Hold onto my shoulder if you need to hold onto something," he told her. She complied, covering her stomach with an arm and holding onto him with the other hand. He was right, of course- the fabric was extremely hot, and she hissed in pain when it touched her tender skin. Water streamed away as he applied pressure, creating hot trails toward her knee and inner thigh. The cut burned especially, and she squeezed his shoulder when he pressed down slightly too hard.

"Sorry. I'm almost done, just a minute longer," he murmured. He rubbed circles over the wound with the cloth, not stopping until he was satisfied with his handiwork. She squeezed a little harder; then jumped when his hand covered hers.

"I'm done. We should probably cover it, but not with this." He brandished the soiled strip. "Can you afford to lose any more covering?" Blushing furiously, Mai looked down and nodded, gesturing at the fabric over her ribs. He ripped another strip off, baring everything from the bottom of her bra to the top of her panties. Mai shivered a little from the cool air against her warm skin. He went through the boiling process again, using soap this time, rinsed the strip off thoroughly, and dangled it in the air until it cooled.

"I need to wrap your leg. Can you move your skirt out of the way?" He asked. She lifted the skirt until it was a few inches above the cut, and then looked at him wordlessly. He grabbed the underside of her thigh, startling her, and lifted her leg onto his lap as he sat down beside her. Naru wrapped the strip of fabric around the cut form top to bottom twice, and knotted the fabric on the outside of her leg. She made to move her leg off of his lap, but he placed a hand just above the wrap, stopping her.

"If you move it now, the wrap might slip down, and that'd re-open the wound. Leave it up until it dries." He commanded, looking at her. Mai turned bright red, but nodded. She had her skirt practically up to her waist, a completely exposed stomach, and her boss' hand about two inches away from the junction between her thighs. Admittedly, she had idly daydreamed about things like this happening, but she never meant for them to happen. Looking at her navel, she settled in for a long wait.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! Ohayo, perhaps? Or Aloha. Hola, Bonjour, Aloha, Ohayo, Hello, and all other friendly greetings. I am Choiry, and this is my first story. I hope you've enjoyed it so far, and many "thank you"s to those that have reviewed. I really appreciate it! Read, review, and enjoy chapter 3.

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"Mmmm…ohhh, yes… ah, don't stop, don't stop! Naru!"

"Mai. Wake up."

Naru's voice woke Mai up instantly from her dream. She sat up in the makeshift bed, shaking her hair out of her eyes, reaching down to make sure her dress was covering everything it should, little as that may be. She glanced over at Naru, who was sitting in a chair against the wall. She fervently hoped that he hadn't woken her because she was talking in her sleep. If he knew what she'd been dreaming, she'd never live it down.

Yesterday had been mostly uneventful. Naru had searched every corner of the room, after telling Mai that she wasn't to move from her seat. He hadn't found any food, but he did find a notepad and a pen, and more table cloths. He'd replaced the paper, taken the cloths out and promptly began to make a large bed. It was big enough that Mai could roll over twice before she came into contact with Naru, and with the extra cloths they had enough to cover the cushions and themselves separately.

Mai's leg had continued to throb throughout the day, and Naru had take more swatches of fabric out of her dress, from the skirt this time, to clean and wrap it before she went to sleep. With those pieces also gone, her formerly floor-trailing gown ended at mid-calf, and there was a slit in it until above the cut on her right thigh to make wrapping the wound easier for Naru. One of the fabric swatches had gone towards keeping her skirt from slipping down her legs, fortunately. Naru had again kept her leg on his lap the second time he cleaned it, not releasing her until she was too drowsy to distinguish between dreams and reality. She thought he had lifted her from her chair and placed her gently on the bed, hands lingering on her bare skin just a little longer than necessary, but she might have dreamed it… That was likely, considering the content of the dreams she'd been having the rest of the night.

She looked around, noticing that it was still too dark for her to clearly see. It couldn't be later than five, maybe six, in the morning. There was no reason to wake her up this early, unless he was waking her from seemingly restless dreams. She started to get out of bed, not really wanting to leave the warmth of the covers, when Naru interrupted her.

"Stay under the covers, there's no need to freeze outside of them," he said. "I woke you to see if you noticed a change in temperature. I think it may have stormed while we slept." Mai uncovered an arm and promptly re-covered it, shivering. It _was_ cold. She noticed that she had acquired several more layers of table cloths, accounting for the warmth. That must be why Naru was out of bed; she certainly hadn't fetched them. She looked at him again. He was in a tuxedo, tie placed on the cabinet and collar loosened. He didn't appear to be cold, but his tuxedo was silk, suitable for a summer evening of dancing, not a chilly morning. Her dress certainly wouldn't keep her warm, even if it wasn't two-thirds of its original size.

"It is cold, Naru. Why on earth are you out of the covers?" She tried to make eye contact with him, but there still too little light. He looked at her, startled, and then chuckled.

"So eager to take me to bed?" He asked, walking to the pile of cushions. Mai moved over, laughing.

"You looked cold, but if you'd rather be that than warm, so be it. I'll be under the covers, regardless." She lay back down on her side, looking up at him as he took his shoes off and slipped next to her.

"You offered me warm covers and then wrapped yourself up in them. How exactly am I supposed to warm myself?" Mai freed up part of the covers, and then moved as far from him as possible, letting him have space to himself. She lasted all of a minute before she was shivering; she'd left the warmth made by her sleeping body and the covers were cool against her. Naru sighed, reached for her, and pulled her against him. Mai was instantly red. His warm palm was flat against her bare belly, and his warm breath blew against her neck. She shivered again, not from the cold this time.

"It smells earthy… it'll probably rain all day, and it'll be cold, too." Naru murmured, blowing her hair slightly off of her neck. "You can't move around much anyway, and I don't overly enjoy the cold, so we might as well stay in bed." Mai would be only too happy to comply, but there was something… off about the way Naru was behaving. She shifted forward some to see if he'd let her move; his palm pressed lightly against her stomach and then he moved his arm, dragging it slowly over her skin until it was off. She inhaled sharply, then turned to face him.

"You think we should stay in bed… together… all day?" Mai asked. He smirked at her.

"If you'd rather sit in the cold, feel free. At some point I need to check on your leg, and we both need to drink some water every few hours, but beyond that, there's no reason not to sit in bed rather than in chairs. It'll certainly be more comfortable." He reasoned. Mai nodded and scooted a little closer to his warmth. He noticed, and pulled her against him again.

"There's no reason to chill yourself trying to give me space. You're barely wearing any clothes, and what you do have on is very thin. We'll be warmer this way." He chided her. She pulled the coverings up to her chin and nodded. Her mind wandered back to the dream he had woken her from before she could stop it. She was drowsy again, and Naru's steady heartbeat and the warmth of the bed were lulling her to sleep. It still wasn't any lighter outside- a few more hours of sleep couldn't hurt…

Mai woke up again when Naru started to gently shake her. "I need to check your leg, Mai." He murmured in her ear as she peered up at him.

"Mmmkay…" Mai replied, hardly able to get the words out. He wrapped a table cloth around her bare shoulders and lifted her onto his lap. He ran his hand along the makeshift bandage until he found where it tied. He untied it, unwound it, and ran his fingers along the skin.

"It seems ok… no puss, no fresh bleeding… I'll clean it before you go to sleep tonight, but for now I can just bind it again. You'll be losing more of your skirt, though. I'd rather not use the same strip again." He lifted the bottom of her skirt and began a new tear, widening the slit on the side. His hands brushed against her warm skin, and his fingers traced lines of tingling fire on her inner thigh when he covered the cut again. Mai cuddled against him, warranting a low chuckle as he laid her back into the bed, then got up and began heating water in the bowl.

"I though you weren't cleaning it?" Mai asked, confused.

"It's been almost a day since either of us drank anything. Unless you want to become dangerously dehydrated, I suggest you have some of this once it's done boiling." He explained. Mai sat up in bed, no longer half-sleeping, and looked around. It was dark, but that was probably due to the stormy weather. It had warmed up a little, enough that her uncovered leg didn't have goosebumps… except where Naru had touched her thigh. Mai contemplated getting out of bed, but decided against it. There really was no reason to.

Naru pulled the bowl off the flames, and set it down to cool some, and walked over to her.

"We should exercise your leg some," he mused. He bent down and pulled her to standing, then wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling. He began to circle the bed slowly, pulling her with him. She made it around about 15 times before her leg began to throb again, and the water was cool enough to drink by then. Naru sat her in the bed, retrieved the water bowl, and presented it to her, bowing sardonically. She drank almost half of it before handing it to him; he downed the rest quickly. Mai's stomach was growling by then; she had skipped multiple meals before, but usually she had at least snacks. She hadn't eaten much before she left for the ball a day and a half before, and that had been the last food she had. Naru had to be hungry too, but he didn't show it.

She lay on her back, hand behind her head, staring at the wreck above their heads. Naru sat next to her, also looking at the ceiling.

"I haven't heard any machinery or voices," he told her, "But it's only been a day. The hunger isn't unbearable, and unless there's a freak snowstorm, nothing about the weather has changed." He pointed. "See where the light is coming through? I think there's glass over that spot, which is why it isn't wet in here."

She looked and nodded. He didn't look like he planned on saying anything more, so she closed her eyes and sighed. She couldn't sleep the entire stay in the hole away, but she could still dream. She wondered idly what Naru thought of her appearance, more bare skin than clothed. Her thoughts returned again to her dreams; she felt her face flush as she recalled what Naru had been doing in them. Almost forgetting he was next to her, she put her hands over her stomach and sighed. If only they weren't just dreams…

A soft huff from Naru drew her attention. He lay on his back next to her, eyes closed, breathing regular. Mai doubted he was sleeping, but he wasn't showing any signs of moving. She returned to gazing around the room before she finally huffed in frustration and stood up, careful of her injured leg.

She grabbed the broom, determined to do something useful before she went insane. She began violently sweeping the floor, pushing all the dust and wood chippings into a corner. The bloody used bandages with into the same pile. She shook out the table cloths on the bed and neatened the cushions, working around Naru's still form. He remained lying in the same position, watching her, until she bumped her leg against a chair.

She doubled over in pain, gasping; suddenly Naru had an arm around her shoulder and was pushing her onto the bed. He unwound the bandage and examined her leg; she had re-opened the wound, and it was bleeding sluggishly. He sighed, reached for her skirt, and tore off a chunk of fabric from the hem. He padded it up and pressed it against the bleeding part of her thigh, maintaining pressure. She grabbed his shoulder and squeezed, teeth clenched.

"Idiot." He muttered, looking into her eyes. "You shouldn't get out of bed if you're going to hurt yourself the minute you do."

"I couldn't just sit here in silence!" Mai protested. "I had to do something, and I didn't mean to hurt myself again." She looked down, breathing shakily. He was right about injuring herself, but she needed to distract herself. Naru put a finger under her chin and tilted it up, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"If you're so desperate for distraction, talk. Tell me some story from school or one of your ridiculous excuses for being late to work- I know you must keep a ready stock of those."

Mai smiled, rolled her eyes, and replied. "I do not. Every single one of those 'ridiculous' excuses is true. Even the one about the parrot."

"You never did explain that one to my satisfaction," he mused. "I don't understand how a talking parrot holding up traffic made a pedestrian late."

"I wasn't walking; a friend's mother saw me and offered to give me a ride. I tried to tell her I didn't need one, but she was adamant. She wouldn't let me out of her sight until I was in the office." Mai explained. Naru cocked an eyebrow and laughed.

"I suppose that does account for your tardiness." He seemed distracted again. He pulled his hand away from her leg, and the pad with it. "The bleeding's stopped, and I can re-use this wrapping."

He pulled her leg onto his lap and pushed the skirt out of the way, exposing her panties. She was glad the skirt was meant to fold into itself- it still covered most of her upper legs unless Naru adjusted it. He wrapped quickly, still making her skin tingle, and then moved her leg gently back down. Mai wracked her brain for an interesting tale, and then grinned. Settling back, she opened her mouth and began the story of how she and Meiko had successfully tricked their ninth-grade teacher into taking their class into the Red Light District.


	4. Chapter 4

Buenos dias! I am Choiry, and this is my first story, The Ball. I hope you've enjoyed everything so far, and thank you so much to those of you who've reviewed. It really makes me want to keep updating as quickly as I can. Read, review, and enjoy chapter 4!

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"That's why I don't own any pets. My landlady says that I am more than welcome to adopt a cat or a dog- she thinks I'm too isolated alone in my apartment- but after I got this scar I pretty much lost the desire to be around anything with teeth on a long-term basis." Mai shifted her skirt to cover the dark circle on her leg, finished with her story. Naru's suggestion was good- she'd spent all day telling him her funnier memories, and had even coaxed a few out of him (all the "humor" revolved around showing people how unintelligent they were, but it was a start). They'd effectively talked the afternoon away, and had even distracted themselves- mostly- from their hunger.

It was cooling down a little now, and according to Naru it should be about seven in the evening. Mai was wrapped in a table cloth, and sitting close to a similarly-wrapped Naru, their legs almost touching. He'd probably boil drinking water in a minute; it'd been three stories ago when he'd last stood up and made them both drink some. By then, they'd both realized the downside to remaining hydrated- the need to rid themselves of excess fluids. Naru had found a corner where the wood flooring had chipped away, and expanded the spot before digging a hole. He surrounded it by chairs, and they had a latrine of sorts. By an unspoken agreement, they both turned resolutely to the opposite wall when it was in use.

The rain had continued all afternoon, and eventually a few drops had become a steady stream through their roof. Naru had placed one of the water containers underneath to capture the water, and it was nearing fullness now. Thankfully, the rain seemed to be lightening now, or they'd need to find another container to place under the leak.

Mai turned her head and looked at Naru, to discover him doing the same to her, albeit somewhat lower than her face. His gaze seemed to be riveted on her hip, where the slit on the side of her dress ended. Mai's soft cough drew his attention, and he spoke.

"Your skirt is going to disintegrate if I keep taking fabric from that side…" he mused, still staring. Mai looked down at the area in question and silently agreed. The only thing holding her skirt up was an inch of attached fibers over the slit and a tightly knotted make-shift belt. She looked at Naru's dress pants, noticing that they had remained in fairly good condition. Her skirt had been shredded before they began, and he was not likely to want to give up his own clothes for her wound.

"I have the belt, so it should stay up. How much more are you going to take?" She asked. If he needed too much more, she could use one of the table cloths as a covering. One of the less dusty ones would be comfortable, and she could tie it over her hip in the same way as her skirt now.

"Since you re-opened the wound, probably at least enough to clean and wrap it twice. Four long strips, I think."

Definitely too much for her skirt to continue functioning. Mai stood up and slowly walked to where the other cloths were kept, feeling for any chairs in the darkness. She grabbed the one on top, brought it back to the bed and unfolded it. It was extremely long, and narrow. She'd have to wrap it around her waist several times before she could fasten it, and then she'd have to remove it completely when Naru worked on her leg. The next two cloths were the same, and she decided to just suffer with her current skirt.

Naru was watching her, amused. "What are you doing?" He inquired. Mai sighed, and didn't answer. She laid back down, arms folded over her stomach and ankles crossed. Naru remained sitting, looking down at her.

"I can take fabric from the other side. You can still wear the dress." He said, smiling. Mai raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" she asked the ceiling. Naru laughed at her, and shifted positions to lie next to her.

"You aren't likely to bring the tablecloths over to use as decorations, and I did just tell you I was about to destroy your only clothing. It was an easy conclusion." Mai had thought so. Naru got up and started the water-boiling process, using the water from the rain-catching container.

He startled Mai when he lifted her skirt, but once he started a tear she understood. She shifted enough that he could reach under her, and then went back to staring at the ceiling. Naru cleaned her leg, and then started another bowl boiling. Mai expected this to be for drinking, until he started speaking again.

"Neither of us has had a chance to clean ourselves since before we fell through. The soup is a mild laundry detergent, and we can only manage sponge baths, but I for one would like to be clean."

As soon as he said the words, Mai was hyper aware of just how dirty she felt. She fervently nodded in agreement, and Naru bent down to grab a few of the tablecloths.

"These are clean enough to use to dry… and as temporary clothes, if you want to wash yours. I'll get enough water for you to use, and then I'll sit over there. Tell me when you're decent."

Mai waited until he was sitting, and then hurriedly stripped off her clothing. The soap felt slimy, and the water cooled quickly on her skin, making her break out in goosebumps, but she finally felt clean when she was done. She used one table cloth to dry her self completely and wrapped herself in another, leaving her underwear and the remnants of the gown folded on a chair. Naru looked at her expectantly when she sat down, and she quickly turned to face where he'd been sitting. She heard him pour out more water, and then the sound of a match being struck. The soft sound of the cloth he was using- maybe his shirt? She's used a folded table cloth- against his skin was soothing, and she was quickly succumbing to sleep. She lay down on her side, still facing away from Naru, trying not to let the cloth fall away from her body. She was almost asleep when Naru touched her shoulder.

"I cleaned all of our clothes, and they're drying. Do you want to sleep in that, or should I keep you awake until your clothes are dry enough to wear?" He asked. Mai couldn't tell what he was looking at, but she hoped it was her face.

"Keep me awake, I suppose." She responded sleepily.

"Good. I need to wrap your leg up. Hold on a minute and I'll do that." He stood up and retrieved one of the fabric strips he'd torn off. It, too, and been cleaned, and it was cold and damp on Mai's warm skin. Naru put one hand on her inner thigh, just below the hem of her table cloth, and wrapped with the other. By the time he was done, Mai was shaking. His hand was so close… just a little higher. She flushed bright red, thankful it was too dark for him to see. He didn't make her keep her leg up this time, thank goodness. She'd explode if he did, wearing as little as she was. Naru stood and felt their clothes.

"Still wet. It'll be a while before we can wear them. If you're tired, you might as well go to sleep." Mai nodded, not knowing how she'd sleep now. Naru seemed to expect her to, though. He covered her with a blanket and slid in next to her, keeping a slight distance. Mai closed her eyes and breathed evenly, trying to trick her mind into sleeping. After what felt like forever, she finally began feeling tired. She dozed, rolling over once and ending up pressed against Naru, tablecloth twisting up. He inhaled and turned to face her, wrapping an arm around her.

"Mai," he murmured into her hair. She thought she felt a slight pressure, like he'd kissed the top of her head, but she was too far gone in sleep to be sure. She fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat and the warmth of his body.

* * *

"Mai…"

"Hmmm?" Mai mumbled. It was far too early for him to be waking her. She opened her eyes and sat up, noticing that she felt far more cool air than she should. She ran a hand down her body… no shirt, no bra, Naru's hand just below her chest, no underwear, and his leg over her thigh. She turned scarlet and turned her head to look at him. Thankfully, he was asleep, so she could remove his hand and stand up without too much embarrassment… if his grip wasn't so strong. Damn! She gave up on escaping and laid back down, sighing and vowing to somehow escape before he woke up. She heard Naru murmuring again, too softly to understand, and felt his arm tighten around her. There was definitely no escaping. She started to doze again, trying to fall asleep, but soon she was shivering.

The covers seemed to be bunched up around her calves. She extended her arm as far as possible, and was barely able to touch them with the tip of her fingers. She wiggled a little in Naru's grip, managing to slide down enough to grab the blanket. This had the added effect, however, of placing Naru's warm hand squarely over her chest, cupping her bare skin. She gasped and quickly pulled the blanket over their legs and up to his arm before wriggling enough to turn over. He grumbled in his sleep and pulled her closer plastering her against him. Mai breathed a sigh of relief, content to just lie in his arms until they released her. Suddenly, though he seemed to be waking. She closed her eyes, figuring it was better to be seemingly asleep when he woke up.

"Mai?" He asked, removing his arm from around her to rub at his eyes. She remained resolutely silent, hoping he'd just go back to sleep. Instead, he sat up, uncovering her and revealing that he, at least had managed to get his boxers back on before going to sleep. There was enough light for him to see her bare form, and he quickly covered them up. His lay next to her, believing her ruse. He seemed content to go back to sleep until she breathed a little too loudly.

"I thought so." He chuckled looking at her. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Naru?" She tried to maintain her cover. He met her eyes, one brow raised.

"You do realize what exactly you're wearing?" He asked, waiting for her response. She made a show of confusion, peering under the covers and then squealing. He laughed. "I tried to wake you to get you to dress, but you swore at me and rolled over. I gave up." He explained. "It's rather cold now, and very early, so you could just go back to sleep. I plan on it."

"I think I'll get dressed first." Mai declared. "Roll over." She waited for him to obey, stood, and carefully made her way to her clothes. She put on her underwear and crawled back in bed, not wanting to bother with anything more in the dark. He made space for her and turned to face her. She closed her eyes, pulling the covers up to her chin.

"Good night, Naru."

"Good night, Mai."


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! I'm Choir, and I'm very, very sorry for the long update time. Holidays, homework… homework… life interrupts. Anyway, without further adieu, read, review, and enjoy chapter 5!

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Mai stared at the ceiling. She'd been staring at it, and doing nothing else, for the past hour at least. Naru lay beside her, apparently doing the same thing. Neither of them had said a word beyond a good morning, choosing to dwell in silence. Mai, however, had spent long enough enduring the gnawing in the pit of her stomach.

"Naru. Distract me." She ordered. He turned his head, eyebrows raised, and chuckled.

"How do you propose I do that?" He inquired.

"I don't know… I just can't sit here doing nothing any longer! Sitting in silence is no way to pass a day!" She huffed, sitting up on her elbows. She'd stared pointedly at his dress shirt when he was dressing earlier until he finally realized what she'd been attempting to guilt him into. She now sat with her underwear and his shirt on, as he sat shirtless, bare skin contrasting with his dark dress pants.

She realized she was looking at his chest… well, ok, somewhat lower than his chest. He had found time to work out, apparently. He was all lean muscle, hardly any fat… Mai dragged her gaze back up to his face and met his eyes.

"Enjoying the view?" He smirked. Vain narcissist. She sighed and rolled her eyes, flopping back down. Naru rolled to face her, lying on his side. She refused to look, but she felt him watching. Almost without realizing what she was doing, she reached a hand to the top button on his shirt, toying with it. Was that his breath or hers that hitched? She glanced at him from beneath low lashes. He was staring at her hand on her chest, as if he was willing her to unbutton. She did, slowly, still not looking directly at him. He was definitely breathing harder now.

Mai shook her head. What was she doing? He was her boss, and that was all. She removed her hand from her top and placed it resolutely at her side. She considered her options. She couldn't read or eat or listen to music… the little room was clean, and her leg didn't need any cleaning. She looked around, her gaze settling on the shredded blue dress. Naru's shirt hung loosely on her, and it kept getting caught on the rough wood and chair arms. If she could tear enough of the dress to get a belt out of it, she could improve her clothing situation some.

It took a few tries to start a successful rip, but she did manage to tear a strip off long enough to know around her waist. With the makeshift belt on, the shirt hung down to just above her knees, fitting her body loosely. It wasn't much warmer than her dress had been, but it did cover far more, at least above the knees.

She turned and caught Naru eyeing her, gaze locked on her. She looked down, noticing that the shirt was very sheer where it was separated from skin, and her dark panties were visible.

She sighed. It was still better than the dress. She walked back to their bed and flopped down beside Naru, lying on her back again, arms behind her head and ankles crossed. She closed her eyes, breathing as evenly as she could. A little nap wouldn't hurt her. It took about ten minutes, but finally she found herself dozing off.

* * *

Mai found herself on a beach, lying on a towel while someone massaged her back. She closed her eyes, resting her head on her arm and humming in pleasure. Whoever she was dreaming about had good hands… the mysterious masseuse slid their hands down her ribs, cupping the sides of her chest before slowly dragging them down her sides and off her body. She tried to peek out at them from her position, but she couldn't quite see them without turning over, and apparently she wasn't wearing a top. She shook her head at herself, remembering that she was dreaming, and rolled onto her back, propping herself up on her elbows to see her companion.

Naru looked down at her, moving his gaze from her toes to her face. He knelt down beside her, eyes locked on hers. He cupped her face in his hand, and pulled her close, slowly pressing his mouth to hers. Mai pulled him down to the towel with her, lying with him on top of her.

Naru moved his mouth away, kissing her nose and her cheeks before moving down to her neck. She moaned as he raised a hand to her chest, massaging her breast, and kissed her pulse. His trail of kisses continued, making her gasp and arch her back when he took a nipple into his mouth and sucked lightly. A minute later, his mouth was pressing against the skin in the hollow above her pelvic bone and his hands were untying her bikini bottoms. He had them off, and was about to press his mouth against her newly bared skin, when Mai heard someone calling her.

She stood up, clothed and alone, but still on the beach. She saw nobody, but the voice was getting urgent. The voice was familiar, extremely so… why couldn't she place it?

She realized who it was.

"Na-"

* * *

"-ru? What?" Mai sat up, rubbing her eyes and pushing her hair out of her face. He was sitting beside her, looking at her face with an odd look in his eye.

"You were moaning and calling my name." He was definitely searching her face.

"Um. Yeah, it was a nightmare. Thanks." She avoided his gaze. He looked at her again and silently lay down beside her. Mai stood up, about to walk over to a chair and sit down to make some distance between when he spoke.

"I should check on your leg."

She looked down at her thigh, wrapped in a strip from the dress. He tugged her back down to sit beside him and pulled her leg nearer to him, unwinding the binding. It wasn't pretty- she was bruised all around the cut, and her skin was raw and red, but he just ran a finger along it and checked the inside of the bandage. He seemed to be satisfied, because he just wrapped it again. Mai lay down, arms behind her head. She was thinking about her dream, beginning to flush some, when Naru cleared his throat.

"A nightmare?" He asked. Mai inwardly groaned. He wasn't going to let it go!

"Yes. A nightmare. You know, an unpleasant dream? Instead of frolicking in fields, you get chased by psychopaths?" She hoped she sounded firm enough.

"Why were you moaning?" Why was he asking?

"I don't remember." Mai hoped he'd accept this.

"You didn't really seem very frightened." Damn!

"I was dreaming. Who knows what was going on? Anyway, aren't you cold without your jacket?"

He rolled his eyes at her lame subject change and shook his head. "I'm perfectly comfortable."

"You're perfectly crazy. I'm covering myself up. It's too cold for me." She pulled his tuxedo jacket off of the cabinet it rested on and tugged it on over his shirt. The sleeves came to the last knuckle of her fingers, and the bottom hem went to her knees. It was warm, though, and smelled, very faintly, of cologne. She sat with her ankles crossed in front of her, leaning forward. Naru sat looking at her.

"We've been here for three days… someone should get us soon." He mused. Mai realized that he was right. It hadn't seemed like so long… she wondered what the earthquake had done to the rest of the city.

"You slept for a few hours earlier." Naru said. "It's getting late… I'm going to sleep." He turned from her, slipping the pants down from his waist and getting under the covers. His breathing was slow and regular, and in a few minutes, Mai heard faint snores.

She returned to thinking about her dream. Was she forever doomed to wake up before anything satisfying happened? She'd explode at this rate. Unless…

She turned to Naru. He seemed deeply asleep, still snoring. She thought of her dream, and how arousing it had been. Slowly, she slipped of Naru's jacket, putting it by his pants, and unbuttoned the shirt. She ran her hands over her breasts, tweaking the nipples, eliciting small shivers down her spine. Closing her eyes, she slid her panties down and touched her wet folds. A second of moving her finger found her clit, throbbing with her pulse. She hissed in pleasure, rubbing circles against it. Waves of pleasure rode through her as she increased her tempo and the pressure of her fingers.

Gasping, she moaned, and her thoughts went again to her dream as she continued pleasuring herself. She imagined that Dream Naru hadn't been interrupted, that his tongue was working against her. She moaned again.

"Mmmm." She rubbed harder, hips rolling against her hand. The other hand went back to fondling her breast.

"Ahhh- Na- Naru!" Her hips were rolling frantically now, and her hand was pressing almost to the point of pain. She was close to orgasm… sweet release. She rubbed faster, arching her back and gasping.

"Naru!" She released. Panting, she lay on her back, sweating, chest heaving. She tried to even her breathing, almost succeeding in calming herself when she heard Naru stirring.

She grabbed frantically for her panties, and had them in her fingertips when Naru spoke.

"Mai? Were you calling me?" He rolled over, looking like he was about to ask if she was alright. He noticed her disheveled appearance, the mussed hair and open shirt. She was still panting slightly, and the shirt was baring her entire body. His eyes looked from her chest to her thighs, and he gasped before looking at her eyes.

"What were you doing?"

"I- nothing. I wasn't doing anything…" Mai could tell he didn't believe her.

"You're not wearing underwear." He moved closer.

"I…" Mai had no response.

"And you were calling my name. Again." He was next to her.

Mai could not think of a thing to say. She was frozen in place, watching him get closer.

He gently pulled her to him, settling her on his lap, facing him.

"You're an awful liar, Mai." He cupped her face, looking into her eyes.

"But I love you." And he kissed her.


	6. Chapter 6

Hola! Yo me llamo Coro, y el es capitulo seis. Espero que disfruten de.

Read, review, and hopefully understand a word of my greeting!

* * *

Mai could only manage one thought: Naru was one hell of a kisser. Ever other attempt at thought shriveled up within five seconds of its creation. Mai was on her back underneath Naru, arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He must have been a swimmer at some point in his life- how else could he manage to hold his breath for this long? Not that she was complaining… he really was a good kisser…

She pulled insistently at the waist of his pants until he got the hint, pausing to pull them off. He rolled so she was on top of him, legs on either side of his waist. She pressed down against him, shuddering in pleasure, and kissed him again. His hands went to her hips, caressing and gripping them as she ground herself against him. She felt his reaction in a few moments, and rubbed harder, making them both gasp. Just as she began to feel the tugs of orgasm, he stopped her motion.

"Just what are you doing?" She demanded, glaring. He merely smirked and reached his hand between her legs, not commenting on her lack of panties, and ran a finger over her until he found her throbbing clit. Grinning evilly, he began to rub it, keeping his unoccupied arm around her waist.

"Don't be mistaken; I would dearly love to take off what's left of your clothes and bring you to the height of pleasure, over and over again, but until we're rescued, that's something we both can wait for. Hopefully, though, this will suffice." Mai saw stars as he brought his mouth to the hollow of her throat, sucking on her skin as he continued to pleasure her. She orgasmed with a moan, collapsing against him and panting.

"You seem to be very unsurprised, Naru. I'm not complaining, but is there a reason we didn't spend the last six months having fun in your office whenever we weren't on a case?"

"Well, for one thing, Lin wouldn't appreciate that at all. And for another thing, I don't think you'd like spending hours on end bent over or laying on top of a desk."

"I could be convinced to suffer through, believe me."

Naru chuckled and hugged her, kissing the top of her head. She freed her arms from between them so she could return the embrace. She loved his passion, but this was nice in its own way.

"Well, now that we're both awake… any suggestions for how to spend the day?" She queried. She felt Naru shake his head before he leaned back, taking her with him.

"I think we should just lay here for a while… It's cool and soft… and I like the feel of you against me like this." Mai blushed.

"In that case, have I ever told you what my classmates thought of you that day we met?"

* * *

Once again, they spent the day telling stories to each other, pausing to drink occasionally. It was late in the afternoon when they began hearing distant noises from above.

Naru stopped in the middle of a sentence and touched his finger to her lips, tilting his head. A moment later, Mai hear yells.

"Is that… they've found us!" She was giddy with relief. Naru looked rather grim, pursing his lips.

"We don't know if they'll look down here… we need to make enough noise to catch their attention." He stood up, pulling her with him. "And we need to look somewhat presentable… Button the shirt, and rearrange the skirt so it's a little less revealing… there, that's good. OK, how loud can you yell?"

She grinned at him, and put her hands over his ears before screaming as loud as she could. For a moment, she thought she heard silence above, and she took her hands away from Naru's head just as something thumped against to ceiling. A moment later, dust rained down as someone shifted a large piece of debris and called to them.

"Is there anyone beneath me? Are you injured in any way? Do you smell anything odd, or like gas?"

"I cut my leg when we fell down, and we don't smell anything! Can you help us?" Mai yelled back. The voice quieted, and several new ones joined it.

"Step away from the sound of my voice. We're going to attempt to move this rubble."

Mai and Naru quickly moved to the opposite wall. Another pile of dust came down, along with several chunks of wood. It took several minutes, but soon the voice came back.

"A ladder is going to be coming down the hole. When it is touching the ground, you can start to climb up. Please be careful around the edges of the hole; first aid is waiting to check your wound."

Naru nudged her toward the descending ladder as it unfurled. She began the climb up, clinging to the rope while it swayed with her weight. Naru grabbed the ends and steadied them, and Mai continued to climb. Two men grabbed her by the arms and lifted her out of the hole when her shoulders emerged, setting her on a gurney and leaving her to a light-eyed woman in black, who promptly unwound the makeshift bandage around her thigh and began rubbing a cotton pad over it. Naru emerged moments after she did, and was directed to wait for the nurse to examine him as well.

"It isn't infected… Bathe it in warm water with gentle soap, and keep it away from rough materials or sharp edges. You need to eat something light and warm before you go to bed tonight, and something more substantial in the morning. Don't attempt any heavy exercise for a few days. You seem to have come out of this disaster intact. You're lucky." She helped Mai up and looked Naru over. "The same applies to you. Both of you will be able to spend the night at the nearest hotel; there's a bus leaving for it in about five minutes. Go." She stood and walked to their rescuers, leaving them alone.

Naru grabbed Mai's hand and began walking toward the large bus parked on the nearest curb. There were several other rescued people witting inside, along with nurses and rescue workers. The driver nodded at them as they came aboard, and pulled out as they sat down, leaning against each other.

When they arrived, the hotel seemed strangely empty; few cars were in the lot, and few lights were on above ground level. Inside, however, there were several booths; a woman with a list of those missing since the night of the earthquake, asking new arrivals to sign by their names; a man giving out room numbers; an elderly woman handing out cups of soup and punch. Mai made a beeline for the food while Naru headed to the man with the room keys.

While Mai chatted with the woman and obtained a tray laden with cups, Naru convinced the man to give them one room, and found their names on the list of missing persons. He took the tray from Mai and handed her their room key, striding to the elevator.

"We're on the second floor… he said they're out of clothes, but the hotel does still have robes, so we can bathe and wear those for now… The rescue has been ongoing for several days; most people have been rescued or confirmed dead, and several buildings are being demolished next week because of irreparable damage." He led her to a room near the elevator and nodded for her to open the door. Inside, he put the tray down and turned on the news.

"You can shower first… I'm going to find out more, if I can." Mai nodded and walked to the small bathroom, not bothering to lock the door. She brushed her teeth first, not wanting to enjoy her first meal with the taste of dust and stale water, and then disrobed, looking sadly at the shredded ruins of the borrowed gown, before climbing into the shower and turning on the water. Days of grit and sweat rinsed away as she scrubbed vigorously, careful of her cut thigh. Finally she felt clean, and wrapped herself in a robe before walking into the room with Naru.

The news seemed to be almost over, with the solemn newscaster noting that hundreds were presumed dead and millions had been lost in property damage. Naru went into the bathroom as soon as it finished; Mai heard the shower start seconds later. While Naru cleaned himself, she sipped at a cup of soup, draining the broth and then picking out noodles and vegetables with her fingers. The punch was fruity and cloyingly sweet. Her teeth ached as she drank it, but the sugar did make her feel energized. After another cup of soup, chicken and mushroom this time, she lay down on the bed, crossing her ankles and closing her eyes.

"Enjoying yourself?" Naru emerged, tying the second robe around his waist.

"I will never take my bed for granted, ever again. And pillows! How I missed soft, clean pillows!" She rubbed her cheek against one, enjoying the silky feel. Naru laughed and lay down behind her, tugging her to him. She cuddled against him, breathing in time with him.

"As much as I like the sight of you sprawled in bed in next to nothing, I think I'd like to sleep first. Agreed?" Mai nodded, yawning. Naru reached for the lamp and turned off the light, and soon both were asleep, as close to each other as possible.

* * *

Authors note: I am so incredibly sorry I took this long to update. The story isn't over yet, but the next chapter will be the end. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

So, hopefully I still have readers at this point... Hi guys. I'm choiry, and this is The Ball, chapter seven. Sorry for the epically long time between updates; I hope it's been worth the wait. Thank you for sticking this out!

* * *

Mai and Naru stayed at the hotel for three more days, waiting for both of their apartments to be cleared for entrance again. Neither building had taken heavy damage, but the government had taken "Better safe than sorry" as its motto.

Mai spent most of her time on the phone, trying to contact her friends. She managed to get most of them on the phone, which inevitably resulted in long, teary calls while they gasped out how glad they were that she was alive and well. She gathered bits of news through these calls- her school had partially collapsed, and was closed for the foreseeable future. Classes were being continued through e-mail until another facility could be found. Most non-essential buildings were closed for another week; many that weren't damaged were being used as hospitals and emergency shelters. While the death toll was unexpectedly low, there were hundreds injured or left without a home.

As Mai reassured everyone whose number she could remember, Naru volunteered himself to help organize the emergency shelters. He filed names and sizes of families, and wrote out approximations for how much food and clothing needed to be sent out. Mai saw little of him for those three days; he'd leave early and come in late, kissing her good night before falling into bed. She missed him, but she wouldn't deny him a chance to help. She herself spent whatever time she could helping make food to give to the newly homeless.

On the start of their fifth day in the hotel, Naru shook her gently awake at six, ignoring her protests.

"Mai, there's another busload of rescued people and the hotels almost out of rooms. We should go."

She blinked blearily at him for a moment, then sat up and swung her legs out of bed. He chuckled softly as she stumbled to shower, muttering about evil men who didn't need sleep. She snagged a pair of sweats, all there was for either of them to wear, off of a chair, along with panties and a loose shirt. She had no bra, but that couldn't be helped until she got home.

The long hot shower, which still felt like a luxury after being trapped, woke her up some; the strong tea that Naru handed her when she was out did more. She drank it quickly, then stripped the bed and put the towels and bedding in a neat pile by the door. They saw a harried-looking maid approaching their room as they left.

They entered the lobby, which was slowly filling with passengers from the rescue bus, and waded their way to the desk. The woman manning it took their room keys and directed them to a man running a free taxi service.

The man smiled as they approached. "You're both going the same place?" When they shook their heads, he blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly. "Well, if one of you has a car waiting at home, I'll take you both to that house. Forgive me, but there are others who will need my help."

They assured him that they were fine with that solution, and followed him to his car.

The drive to Naru's was fast and largely silent. The man had a news station on, anxious to hear about any new rescues, and both Naru and Mai were used to sitting in silence. He dropped them off at Naru's apartment complex and sped off, back to the hotel.

"I called the management, so my door will be unlocked. I didn't think theft would be a concern right now," Naru explained as he led her into his home. She looked around the living room for a moment, noting that he chose to decorate with dark colors and that there were books everywhere. He ignored her scrutiny and looked for his spare keys.

"I always assumed you and Lin lived together… apparently I was wrong," Mai said. Naru paused in his search for a moment.

"He lives near here; we usually walk to the train together to get to work. I called him from the hotel the first night we were there, and he told me not to expect to see him; he's part of the search effort." He reached into a wooden bowl and pulled out three keys on a ring. "These are the keys I needed; we can drive to your apartment now."

Mai stood and stretched, letting him lead the way to the parking lot. The lot had a few cracks in the asphalt, but that appeared to be the extent of the damage. Naru stopped at a small blue car, walking to the passenger side to open her door before entering himself.

She gave him the directions to her apartment once they were on a street she recognized, and then fiddled with the radio, discovering that almost every channel was devoted to the rescue efforts or news. Sighing, she leaned back in her seat, giving up on hearing any music for the time being.

Naru was a good driver; it helped that there was little traffic. Her apartment complex was worse than his, missing a few panes of glass in windows and several trees knocked down. They walked into the empty lobby, where Mai jumped behind the desk and grabbed a spare key to her apartment, and then up the stairs to the floor she lived on.

Mai let them in, noting gratefully that her apartment was not in total disarray. She walked through, picking up a fallen lamp and several pictures, before returning to Naru.

"You can stay awhile. My kitchen is still in working order, and I have room here," she hesitated. "And I don't want to be alone…"

Naru was up almost instantly, holding her close to him. "I'll stay. Don't worry; I didn't want to leave you, either." He tilted her chin up and kissed her gently on the mouth.

"Well, then… How's breakfast sound? I should have something here." She squeezed him briefly before escaping, catching his hand to bring him into the kitchen with her. She didn't bother with anything that had to be refrigerated, knowing the power had been out for several days, but she still had fruit, tea, and oatmeal.

Naru sat on a chair as Mai busied herself boiling water and finding dishes. Several bowls were chipped or broken, but she found enough. She rinsed the fruit and poured water into the oatmeal and the teapot, carrying everything to the table.

"I'm going to need to clean my refrigerator; the milk and cheese have definitely gone off. I've probably lost the eggs and meat, too," she mused. They both ate relatively quickly, still feeling the effects of no food for several days. Naru helped her clean the dishes when they were done, then followed her into her living room.

"I have movies we could watch," she suggested. He shrugged, so she pulled out a random DVD and turned on the TV. They sat down on her sofa, leaning against each other.

"This is one of my favorites… I've probably seen in a thousand times. I was probably eight when it came out; I idolized the heroine." She was babbling. She knew that, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. "I even had the same haircut. I was always disappointed that there wasn't a sequel, but that's probably for the best. You know how it is, they never compare the or-" Naru kissed her, effectively cutting off her chatter.

He smiled against her mouth, adjusting so she was lying against the side of the sofa and he was leaning over her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he deepened the kiss. She opened her eyes when he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

"I love you." They both said it at once, smiling at each other. Mai drew him closer for another kiss, sighing as his weight settled against her. He didn't linger on her mouth this time, instead trailing gentle kisses to her throat. He shifted once again, holding her up with an arm around her waist as the other ran along her side, under her shirt to her chest. She moaned as he found a sensitive spot on her neck, and then again when his thumb brushed her nipple.

His kisses continued down until they met the neckline of her shirt. He pulled it a little lower, kissing the top of her breasts, encouraged by Mai's increasingly loud moans.

She pushed herself forward until she could lean against him, moving until she was straddling his lap. Naru paused in his ministrations to her chest, moaning as she settled herself directly on top of his erection. Both of his hands went to her back, steadying her against him, as she grabbed the bottom hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

Naru took a moment to appreciate the view before returning his mouth to her chest, gently sucking and licking circles around her nipples. She groaned in frustration at his teasing, reaching a hand between them to cup him gently. Now he groaned as she slowly moved her hands over his pants, briefly burying his face in her neck before returning to her chest once more.

He finally sucked her nipple into his mouth, relishing the sound of her loud, breathy moan. She grabbed his head, hair slipping between her fingers, as she ground herself against him. Both of them were moaning each other's names.

Mai suddenly stood up, leaving Naru dazed on the couch. She shimmied out of her sweats, leaving her in just a pair of very wet panties, before grabbing his hand and leading him to her bedroom. He managed to keep his hands off of her until they walked through the door; then he picked her up and set her on the bed, not bothering to close the door.

He stood over her for a moment, just looking at her and smiling faintly, until she reached a hand for him. "Naru, you can't put me almost naked on a bed and then not do anything. It's just not fair." She smiled at him.

"I'm planning on doing a lot of things, actually. Would you like me to demonstrate?"

Mai grinned and nodded, and he fell on her. He kissed her mouth and then trailed down again, stopping at her chest again. She was beginning to think he had a fixation, but she wasn't going to complain.

While he found as many different ways to make her moan using his mouth on her chest as he could, she pushed at his pants until he took the hint, kicking them off without moving his mouth. She reached under the waistband of his boxers, and gripped him in her hand. This time he shuddered, moving up to kiss her deeply on the mouth. She moved her hand up and down, not slowing, as he kissed everywhere he could reach. He was starting to buck into her palm when he stopped her.

"Not yet. That feels amazing, but not yet." She pouted, not really upset, as he stood, taking off his shirt and leaning over her.

He kissed her again, letting his hands wander over her body. One hand worked its way under her panties, rubbing gently into her skin as it worked down farther. His fingers reached her clit and she moaned in name, gasping as he rubbed his thumb over her and started plunging his fingers into her.

"Naru… Naru, please, oh God, that feels so good…" She was breathless, moving desperately against his hand.

"Not yet…" He sounded proud of himself. He kissed down her body, not taking his hand away, as her cries grew more frantic. Just as she was about to climax, his fingers slid out of her and stopped moving. She groaned in frustration, opening her eyes to glare. He was licking his fingers clean, and grinned when she looked. Not looking away from her eyes, he pealed her panties slowly down, off her legs and to the floor, where he let them drop.

Slowly he leaned forward, breathing her smell in. His nose brushed her clit and she moaned louder than before. That set him off; before she knew what was happening, he was licking her, burying his tongue inside her before moving up to her clit, sucking it into his mouth and teasing her. Her fingers went into his hair as he continued, letting her almost explode before pulling back and slowing down. He played with her as she went wild for him, grinding against his tongue.

"Naru-oh God don't stop- please, please- yes! There! - I'm so close- oh, oh- please!" She was almost incoherent. He took pity on her and drove two fingers deep inside her, licking at her clit until she finally came, shuddering and moaning.

"That was amazing…" She was limp. He plopped down beside her, grinning like a cat, and she turned to look at him. He lay with his hands behind his head in just his underwear, smiling at the ceiling. He didn't hear her move before she was on him, kissing his face and neck as she ground against him. She trapped his wrists above his head and captured his mouth, rolling her hips down as he thrust his up. They were both panting, legs shaking, as they neared climax.

Naru's hands on her hips stopped her motion. He smiled up at her, hair in disarray around is face.

"Can we…?" He trailed off, raising an eyebrow.

"I've been taking birth control for four years."

That was answer enough for him. He rolled to be on top, reaching down to guide himself in. He rubbed her clit gently with one hand and he slowly pushed himself inside.

"Tell me if you need to slow down. I don't want you to hurt." His face was between her neck and shoulder, gently sucking on the sensitive skin. In answer she locked her legs around his waist, pulling him fully inside her. He froze.

"I didn't want to hurt you." He was unhappy. She grabbed his wrist and started moving his hand over her clit again until her took over, so she was moaning as she answered.

"I'm fine. Just don't stop." He sighed, but continued, pulling out a little before pushing back in. He was clearly enjoying himself, judging by the ferocity of his assault on her neck. She was starting to thrust along with him, pushing into his hand.

"Naru…" His name sounded so right coming from her. He rubbed her clit faster, thrusting more deeply, until she was shuddering around him. "Naru, I'm close. Don't stop, so close, please…" She was panting, her head thrown back, as he pounded into her. She clenched around him as she came, and a moment later he followed.

"Are you a sex god in disguise?" She had moved to lie on top of him, and was gently toying with his hair. He smiled.

"Maybe."

Mai laughed until he kissed her.

* * *

They ended up deciding to go to his apartment for the night. They stopped on the way to order dinner, and ate it on his couch, sitting as closely as they could. Mai planned on staying there for the time being; once her school opened up she would have to go home again.

The rest of SPR was alright; Ayako had a broken wrist, but that was the worst injury. Their office hadn't suffered any damage, and within a few days they opened again. The family that hosted the ball contacted them the first week they were open to check their conditions. They expressed their relief that both Mai and Naru were alright, and brushed off Mai's apology for the ruined dress.

Nobody said anything to Mai or Naru at first, but after the first time they came in holding hands and flushed from kissing, their coworkers teased them ruthlessly. Lin began leaving them alone in the office at lunch, which resulted in Mai spending several hours a week bent over Naru's desk. She couldn't find it in her to complain.

* * *

I'm going to end it there. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Read, review, and feel free to tell me off for my lateness. Peace, love, and gratitude!


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